Three men were killed in a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. According to police, two teenage suspects were later found dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the attack happened shortly before midday at the mosque in the Clairemont district of the city.
Police stated that all children attending the day school connected to the mosque were safely accounted for after the shooting.
Wahl said investigators are treating the incident as a possible hate crime, although no motive has yet been confirmed. The FBI has joined the investigation.
Imam and director of the Islamic Center, Taha Hassane, expressed shock over the tragedy, stating it is “extremely outrageous to target a place of worship.”
Police discovered the bodies of two suspects, aged 17 and 19, inside a vehicle nearby, and believe both died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Law enforcement officers flooded the scene within minutes of reports of an active shooter. Television footage showed heavily armed police surrounding the mosque complex.
The attack occurred ahead of Eid al-Adha and the annual Hajj pilgrimage, during heightened concern among Muslim communities following tensions and conflict in the Middle East.